A Familial Notion
by purplerayz
Summary: Rossi isn't quite sure what to think of the team's youngest member, but an incident at a crime scene adjusts his perception. Takes place in season 3.


**This is just a oneshot. Takes place in season 3 after Rossi joins the team.**

* * *

The drive to the crime scene was a quiet one, and Rossi was okay with that. He looked to the young man in the passenger seat. He had pretty much pegged everyone on the team for what they were, but this one was still a bit of an enigma to him. At times, the kid talked like he was going to explode if he didn't get all the information out immediately.

And then there were times where he remained dead silent and still, like right now. He was staring out the window in thought. The first time Rossi had seen him do it, he had actually gotten a bit worried because he had been eerily still for so long. When he had talked to Hotch about it, he had been told the kid was fine, just thinking deeply. And it was best to leave him alone, as long as he wasn't so distracted that he hurt himself with his absentminded clumsiness. Apparently, he'd done that before.

So, Rossi let him be as he drove. Reid was in no danger of harming himself while buckled into the passenger seat. Although, he wasn't so sure the kid wouldn't get a headache from thinking so hard. Just looking at him nearly made his own head hurt.

When he pulled up to their destination, he wasn't sure if he should disturb Reid or not. But thankfully, he snapped out of it on his own when Rossi shut off the engine. He watched as Reid got out and made his way towards the house without a word. Rossi just shook his head and followed suit.

As they examined the crime scene, he couldn't help but be a little awed. A few minutes ago, Reid had been deathly silent, and now he was talking quickly, listing everything he noted about the scene before them as though they had not just spent the last twenty minutes in complete silence.

When Reid headed down the hall towards the kitchen, Rossi stayed in the living room a little longer. The body had already been removed, but the rest of the crime scene remained in place. The victim had fought, but it had ended here. He followed after Reid into the kitchen where the fight had begun. The smell of the deeply burned meal the victim had been cooking still hung heavily in the air from the night before. He walked past Reid, who was standing just inside the doorway.

"She put up one hell of a fight," Rossi commented as he saw the mess in the kitchen, all the signs of a great struggle.

Reid didn't reply to his comment, so Rossi turned around to see if he had even heard him, or if he was just choosing not to respond. Once again, Reid was stalk-still and spaced out. A sinking feeling rose in Rossi's gut, though. This was different from the silence during the car ride. Different, and not in a good way. He'd seen it too many times before not to know what it was.

Reid's eyes were wide, almost wild looking, and his breathing was increased. His mind was somewhere far from here, somewhere terrible. Somewhere no young man should ever have to be, in Rossi's opinion.

He knew it wasn't a good idea to try to snap him out of it, especially since he had no idea what kind of flashback Reid was having. He could react badly. Something in this room must have set it off, so Rossi decided the first thing to do was get Reid out of kitchen. He gently guided Reid out of the room, encouraging him softly along the way.

"We're just going to go out back for some fresh air."

Reid didn't resist, which told him just how deep he was in the flashback. He led him to the patio door and helped him sit down on the steps of the back porch. He crouched down in front of him, taking each of Reid's hands and softly rubbing his wrists, hoping to give him some sort of grounding.

"Reid," he spoke quietly. It felt admittedly odd to speak to Reid in this gentle tone. It was a tone largely reserved for when talking with victims on cases. "I don't know where you are, but you're not there. You're here with me. It's Rossi. You're safe, Reid. Spencer."

He kept repeating the mantra, and it was several minutes before Reid started to come out of it. He blinked slowly, and Rossi knew he was beginning to register his surroundings again. He continued to reassure him that he was safe, still rubbing his thumbs across Reid's wrists.

"I…" Reid trailed off, eyes showing his confusion as he became more aware.

"It's alright. You don't need to speak. Just concentrate on me. You're safe here."

He didn't let go of Reid's wrists for a few more minutes, until Reid actually moved his head and looked him in the eye, if only briefly. He was still obviously dazed, having a hard time coming back from whatever hell he'd been in.

"Tell you what," Rossi began. "I'm going to go finish up inside. You stay out here. Focus on the breeze if it helps."

He waited until Reid nodded his head before he headed back into the house. There wasn't much left to do here anyway. Reid had already made a lot of observations about the scene, and Rossi just needed to make sure there was nothing else before they left. But mostly, it was an excuse to give Reid a private moment to collect himself.

…

Rossi headed back outside a little bit later, making sure he made enough noise for Reid to hear him approaching. He didn't want to startle him unnecessarily after what had happened. Sensing Reid wasn't quite ready to get up yet, Rossi sat next to him on the steps, leaving ample space between them.

Several silent minutes passed before Reid turned his head towards Rossi, his mouth opening and closing as if he was unsure of what to say. "Sorry," was what he finally ended on.

"Reid, you don't need to apologize to me. Trust me, I understand."

"We should probably go back."

Rossi placed a hand on Reid's shoulder, stopping him from getting up. "They're not going to miss us a few extra minutes. Take your time getting your head back on straight."

Reid obeyed and stayed on the steps. He still looked pale, and Rossi knew it would take awhile for his color to fully come back.

By the time they left the house, Reid looked better, but he still wasn't quite himself yet. Rossi opened the windows a little in the vehicle when they drove off, letting the air in for Reid even if he hadn't requested it. When he glanced at Reid a few minutes into the drive, he was staring out the window again in silence.

Rossi decided right then that he preferred the rambling, talkative Reid over the quiet, reserved one.

"I won't tell anyone what happened back there, if you're worried I will."

Reid looked at him for a moment. "Thanks."

"But I do think you should tell Hotch," he suggested. "He's your unit chief. He should know when something like that happens in the field."

Reid nodded and paused. "I… I haven't had one that… that bad in months."

"Reid," Rossi sighed, "you don't need to tell me."

"No, you should know," Reid swallowed. "You have a right to know, especially after what just happened. It's not like it's a secret… It's just one of those things no one talks about."

Rossi remained silent as Reid collected his thoughts. If Reid was going to tell him, he wasn't going to push him.

"It… it was the burnt fish on the stove," Reid explained slowly. "The smell… I was taken by an unsub last February. He held me in this shack for two days. He burned fish organs… said it was to keep away the devil…"

Rossi listened intently to the story: the drugging, the three personalities, how Reid had helped the rest of the team find him, only to be the one to shoot the unsub in the end. When Reid finished, Rossi didn't know what to say, so the rest of the ride was silent.

Thankfully, they were almost back to the police station. When they got inside, Reid headed straight for the bathroom, presumably to splash some water on his face. Hotch pulled Rossi aside right away. It seemed as though his old friend didn't miss anything.

"Did something happen at the crime scene?" Hotch asked, looking to where Reid had disappeared.

"He's fine," Rossi tried to assure him.

"Dave, I know you're still getting used to the way things work with this team, but if something happened, I need to know."

"I know. He's fine, I promise. I told him to talk to you, but I think it can wait until we're headed home… Just, maybe keep him here at the station for the rest of the case."

The look Hotch gave him told him he didn't like being held in the dark, and Rossi didn't blame him.

"Just trust me on this one, Aaron," he pleaded, and Hotch let it go for now.

…

The plane ride home that night felt a little tense. Rossi watched silently as Hotch and Reid talked in the back of the plane. It seemed as though everyone knew something had happened, but nobody pried. Rossi was going to keep his promise, too. He wouldn't tell anyone, even if they asked. If Reid wanted to tell the rest of them, he would.

After a lengthy talk, Hotch finally got up and came to where Rossi was seated by himself. "He wants to talk to you," he said quietly, so as not to bring attention to them. It was late, and most everyone had fallen asleep or was trying to.

Rossi got up, but Hotch placed a hand on his arm, stopping him from moving down the aisle any further.

"Dave," he still spoke quietly. "Thank you… for taking care of him."

As he looked in Hotch's eyes, he could tell this team had become really close while working together, that they really cared for each other. And when one of their own was hurt, the rest were hurt, too.

Rossi nodded in understanding, and Hotch let him go. He sat across from Reid in the spot the unit chief had just vacated.

"You doing okay?" Rossi asked.

"Yeah," Reid nodded. "I, uh, I didn't thank you… for what you did."

"You didn't need to, but you're welcome." Seeing that was all Reid had wanted to say, Rossi continued. "I'm sorry you had to go through what you did. But I can tell," he nodded his head towards the rest of the plane, "all these people care about you. I've seen many people hide their emotions after something horrible like that happens. They bury themselves away, and it ruins them. Just promise me you won't to that. You're young, smart. Stronger than I know you think you are, and you have a lot ahead of you. Talk to one of these people if you need to, they'll listen. You can talk to me if you really want to; just don't bury it inside you. We haven't known each other very long, but I can tell you're a good person. Don't let it destroy you."

Reid nodded, smiling softly. "Thank you."

Rossi returned the smile. "Now, don't take this the wrong way, but you look exhausted. You should try to get some sleep. Couch is open if you want it."

Reid took his advice and got up to claim the couch before anyone else decided they wanted it. Rossi had a feeling everyone had purposely avoided it, hoping the tired-looking Reid would take it and get some rest. Despite the rule that they shouldn't profile each other, they all did it. They couldn't really help it.

It wasn't until everyone else had fallen asleep on the jet that Rossi allowed himself to do the same. As he closed his eyes, he could feel the beginnings of what could best be described as a familial notion. That was the last thing he expected to feel when he had decided to come back to the BAU, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe it would be.

One thing was for certain, though. He was going to stick around and find out.


End file.
